Jharkhand CM resigns, Cong holds the key

A day after the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) pulled out of the BJP-led ruling coalition, Jharkhand chief minister Arjun Munda submitted his resignation to governor Syed Ahmad on Tuesday and recommended dissolution of the assembly.

The JMM withdrew support, saying the BJP had failed to honour a pact under which CMs would be rotated after 28 months. The BJP maintained that there was no such agreement.

The focus has now shifted to the Congress, which has 13 MLAs and could form a coalition government with the JMM’s 18, RJD’s five and five independents. The numbers total 41, the majority mark in the assembly.